Silver and Gold
by Destiny Kitty
Summary: Kai hasn't see the 'Breakers in a few months. Now in the middle of the cold Russian winter, feelings get warmer. Christmas fluff! Mild shounen ai warning, Kai x Rei.


Warning: cheesy fluffy silliness! But it's relatively harmless, I think.

Yea it's December --smile-- I wrote most of this in October but wanted to wait until it was closer to Christmas to put it up. So now, Merry Christmas early!

I have no idea where this could fit in the Beyblade storyline – after the third season may be the best spot for it. That would make the boys, what, 16? 17? Something like that… not that it matters really.

Characters are not mine. Obviously. Otherwise it wouldn't be called fanfiction. They belong to Nelvana and Takao Aoki.

………:Silver…and…Gold:………

The wintery world was cold, bitterly so, and white as angel's wings. Thick puffs of light snow blew through the air whenever a trail of the north wind floated over the landscape.

Any possible fondness for the picturesque scene was lost on the lone figure in the middle of it. Kai treaded indifferently through late December snow, seeing only memories. He had come back to Russia in late summer and been out of contact with his teammates since then. The year was drawing to its close and for some reason he couldn't get them out of his head – _well_, he admitted to himself, _perhaps one more than the others._

The team had not taken it very well when they found out that Kai was leaving. That had been an accident. He had had no intention of letting them know that he was going and where, but somehow they had found out anyway. Kai suspected someone had been nosing through his stuff but there had not been time to find out who was responsible, because he spent the last few days before his flight avoiding Tyson's allegations of jealousy and treason, Hilary's morose sniffs, Max's puppy-dog-eyed looks, Kenny's silly theories, and Rei…

Rei had just come back from a visit to the White Tigers' village when they found out Kai was leaving. He voiced no disapproval, made no attempt to convince Kai to stay, yet had still almost accomplished just that. Kai remembered clearly the soft words Rei had spoken on the morning of his departure – "We'll miss you, Kai…. I'll miss you."

Max may have been the peacekeeper of their set, but it was Rei who brought Kai into the team, held his attention and kept his temper in check. Rei was his equal in spirit and determination, and better than him in other things. Like relationships.

Perhaps it had been Rei's absence that had made planning to leave so easy. As much as he did actually care for his teammates, they had a tendency to get on his nerves quickly and often. And he didn't want them to depend on his presence. Going back to Russia had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, and he didn't regret it.

As he thought about his team, he grew restless. The Breakers rarely went this long without getting into some trouble or another. Or maybe they _were_ in trouble. Had they just not called him for help?

And then he heard what he was almost waiting for, a siren in the distance.

He jogged the long distance back to the base. Obscured by trees and extensive drifts of December snow, it drew closer only slowly, much too slowly, as he considered what he might find there. Finally reaching to the door, Kai settled himself slightly before pushing inside, thankful for the tough physical training which let his breathing be perfectly normal as he marched toward the source of the disturbance.

Several people were standing around a white-clad, dark-haired figure. Kai's eyes slid over the boy's familiar frame, taking in bound wrists and a trembling Rei couldn't seem to hide.

As he approached, one of the teens noticed him and called, "Captain! We found an intruder."

They had stripped the slim figure of coat and scarf before binding his hands. _Did they actually think Rei would present a danger?_ _Why is it always my teammates who get themselves into these kinds of things? _

"He was out by the front gate moving north-east towards the base."

Kai felt like rolling his eyes at the ridiculous theatricality of the Russian bladers, but knew it would offend them. So he played along, matching their seriousness with his own caustic solemnity. "Send the prisoner to my chamber. I'll see to him."

Bryan and Mikhal took hold of Rei and shuffled him away. Kai averted his eyes from the retreating trio as Tala nudged his elbow. "How'd he get here? Did you tell them about this place?"

"No," Kai answered shortly, his mind vibrating between pleasure at seeing Rei so unexpectedly and uncertainty as to what the unannounced visit might mean. _What is Rei doing here? Why is he alone?_

"Well he's not supposed to be here. Get rid of him will you – Hey, are you listening?" Tala called as Kai walked away from him, away from where the other three had gone. There was no answer from the navy-and-silver-haired boy.

The redhead looked from Kai to the trio turning a corner, and caught a flash of gold eyes. He watched indifferently as a shadow passed over the intruder's pale face before going about his own business.

Rei's heart sank as he realized that Kai was not following them. Panicking, he tried to break loose from the older teens leading him, but they only tightened their grips and dragged him further into the twisting maze of the base. He completely lost track of passages and turns and wide open rooms they passed before being pulled through a doorway. Inside they pushed him down to his knees, hissed a warning, and left.

Rei huddled on the floor of a sparse room so cold that he could see his breath as little puffs of smoke as he forced himself to keep breathing the frigid air. Running would now be pointless, since he had no idea how to get out of the building and couldn't endure the cold outside. Shivering violently, he folded his legs to rest his head on his knees. Despair gripped his heart, as cold as the ice palace around him. Maybe his friends were right; this had been a very bad idea.

He curled tighter, trying to warm his arms by keeping them close around his legs, impeded by his bound wrists. He was much too cold to try untying the knots, so he sat where he had been left, rocking slightly, throat constricting painfully as he began to go numb.

Though no warning noise had disturbed the air a thick, fire-warmed blanket wrapped unexpectedly around his shoulders, accompanied by two strong, slim arms. A relieved sob escaped Rei's lips as he felt the heat sink into his skin, the grip around his shoulders tightening comfortingly. But despite the warm embrace, Kai's voice was colder than the freezing landscape Rei had struggled through to find him.

Kai frowned, feeling Rei's uncontrollable shuddering continue even after he wrapped the blanket around him. The boy couldn't stand this weather; he could have frozen to death. He tried to control his irritation at Rei's apparent disregard for his own safety as he demanded, "What's wrong? Why are you here?"

Rei felt an icy shiver run up his spine at the familiar harsh voice and stammered helplessly, "I – I wanted to see you. You've been away for m-months and we didn't hear from you at all. I wanted to make sure that you're ok."

"I'm fine. I can take care of myself," Kai growled. His anger burned as Rei nodded, and he snapped, "What were you thinking! You could have died."

"I'm sorry," Rei whimpered. Tears were stinging his eyes. Had the Russian team gotten to Kai again? Why was he so mad? "I … I guess … I should just go home."

_What a disaster._ Rei shut his eyes to dispel the tears, but a moment later they flew open again. Kai's hands had closed over his. He stared at their joined hands for a moment before Kai let go. The older boy's fingers worked over the rope binding Rei's wrists, making short work of loosing the knot. With Rei freed, Kai's arms closed around his waist, pressing the slim neko against his chest and dropping his chin to one blanket-covered shoulder.

His voice was low as he implored, "Don't ever do that to me again."

Stunned, Rei sat in the embrace of his taciturn friend until a sneeze tickled his nose and broke the silence. Wordlessly Kai gathered Rei up off the floor, letting a small grin break his usual mask at the neko's mew of protest. He set Rei down on the edge of the bed and pulled off his boots before fetching some towels. A longing gaze followed the fluffy towels, so when Kai's hands found the edge of his tunic Rei was again caught completely by surprise.

Kai rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the look in those liquid gold eyes as he hastily explained, "You are not keeping those wet clothes on. You'll get sick."

Embarrassed by his assumptions, Rei let Kai help him out of his light tunic and snow-soaked pants and wrap him in a thick towel. But his heart lurched again as Kai made him turn around. Shivers, now of thrill, ran up and down his spine as Kai's light fingers gently undid the ties around his long hair to let the dark strands flow down his back.

Kai studied the neko carefully, noting the crimson sheen that tinted his cheeks every so often. He couldn't resist running his fingers through Rei's smooth mane a few times more than was necessary to straighten the wet locks before binding them up in another big towel and wrapping the big blanket around Rei's shoulders. Then he moved to light the fireplace.

With a bright orange blaze burning in the grate, Kai turned back to find Rei watching him sleepily. He walked over and put a hand on his shoulder to make sure Rei was listening. "Wait here. I'll bring hot food, ok?"

Rei nodded, and Kai walked away. As he reached the door, Rei called out, "Kai!"

"Hn?"

Violet eyes gazed at him with unaccountable tenderness. Rei felt himself blush again and shook his head bashfully. Kai nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

_How can Kai be so cold and then so, so warm?_ Rei wondered, staring into the flames. Sometimes it seemed as though the boy was made of ice, but then there were these strange, infrequent times where he was nothing but caring. Rei sighed, knowing he would never really understand the other boy, and shifted comfortably in his cloth cocoon to ponder an acceptable apology for causing hin to worry.

When Kai snuck back in it was to find Rei buried under the blankets, curled up like a kitten in the heat of the fire. It was somewhat too warm for Kai's taste but seemed to suit the neko perfectly. He smiled. Setting the tray on a table, he knelt down and slid a hand under Rei's head, intent on putting him to bed.

Rei sighed, snuggling against Kai's arm, and opened his eyes. Kai looked down into the sweet face as Rei pouted slightly. "I'm sorry, Kai," he murmured. Kai's gaze drifted from his eyes to his lips, watching them move and not really paying attention to the apologetic explanation. "I just wanted to see you again. If it's too much trouble, I'll go home. I'm glad I found this place. I … I really miss you." The gold eyes dropped. "But if you don't want me –"

Impulsively, Kai pulled Rei close and captured his lips in a heated kiss.

An eternity passed before Kai pulled away, hiding beneath velvety silver hair. Rei hazily realized his face was burning as well as his lungs, and gasped a small breath as heat and cold and dizziness swept over him. But Kai's fervent voice, hushed yet unwavering, threw Rei even more off-balance.

"I want you. I do want you, Rei."

Rei realized that he had again forgotten to breathe and choked in some air.

"But I want you to be safe. And I don't know if I can keep you safe from the people here, even my old teammates. Besides, there's nothing I can do about the cold."

One of Rei's hands worked free of the blanket wrapped around him, and reached out to touch Kai's cheek. Breathless, Rei whispered, "You have enough fire to keep me warm."

The hand slipped behind Kai's neck and drew him closer as Rei delicately raised his head to kiss those sweet lips again. Kai reveled in their closeness until the neko broke away to bury his head in the blankets and sneeze.

Kai chuckled, and Rei looked up with hurt eyes. "I told you that you'll get sick. Next time at least warn me when you're coming."

"I couldn't!"

"No?" Smiling, he collected Rei into his arms again and stood. "We'll fix that. But right now we'll eat, and then you are going to bed."

"Are you leaving again?" Rei asked forlornly.

Kai propped up a pillow and settled Rei against the headboard, promising, "Not a chance."

Rei's grin lasted through the hearty meal they shared, through telling Kai everything their friends had been doing over the past four months, into delicious hot chocolate that made him sleepy again. Kai put the tray outside and came back to the bed, shedding his dark shirt and pants. He helped Rei out of the towels and blanket so both boys were just in their boxers, then crawled between the sheets.

"What if you get sick too?" Rei protested, shivering slightly as he was pulled under the blankets, but Kai just shook his head and said calmly, "I won't. Don't worry."

Rei snuggled against Kai's chest, sighing happily. Kai smoothed his hand over Rei's head and could have sworn the boy was purring.

"I was going to come back in the spring."

"Hmm?" Rei mumbled.

"Nothing."

"Would you say it again?"

Kai glanced down at him. "Say what?"

"That you want me."

"Rei, I love you."

Rei smiled, nestling closer and breathing long, even breaths. Kai played thoughtfully with his long, dark hair, admiring the way it turned purple in the firelight, until another concern struck him and he said urgently, "I won't have you traipsing around in a Russian midwinter again, ok?"

"Kai…"

"Hn?"

"I love you too…" He yawned widely, and then nuzzled against Kai's shoulder, murmuring, "Merry Christmas."

Kai looked over the peaceful figure lying next to him and gave up worrying. Sliding further under the blankets, he folded both arms around Rei and drew him close, resting his cheek in the soft spikes of dark hair.

"Merry Christmas, Rei."

...……………………………………………..………………………………………………………...

Hmm, I've never written fluff before, not like this. Misinterpretations is close I suppose, but it's not really slash. Anyway, hope you like it!!

--Destiny

VVVVVV


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